


Hunted

by UTChronicle



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Science Fiction, Sequel
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-26
Updated: 2020-12-26
Packaged: 2021-03-08 01:06:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 13,399
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26667160
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/UTChronicle/pseuds/UTChronicle
Summary: After crash landing in another universe, Frisk and his friends meet with a former rebel, who introduces them to surprising allies. Meanwhile, the Stranger and his crew are in hot pursuit, and are seeking to get one step ahead. The next chapter in the Undertale: Chronicle saga after Lost.





	1. Impact

The coffee mug fell to the counter with a clatter, nearly spilling its contents, but that didn’t matter. All his eyes could see was the newspaper headline, which they scanned again and again. Alerted by the noise, his wife entered. 

“Frederick, what is it?”

He slowly looked up, growing pale. “It’s...It’s Carson. They…” he gulped. “They just found him...and his family. Shallow graves, Amelie...the police are saying they were shot.”

Amelie covered her mouth. “Oh my god...Frederick...I’m sorry, we need to shut this down. If whoever’s doing this is willing to go  _ that far _ ? That’s not a risk I’m willing to take.”

Frederick shook his head, throwing the paper down on the table. “That’s not something I’m willing to do. Amelie, this is our life’s work. We’re  _ so _ close, and you just want to throw it all away?!”

“Dammit, Frederick, look around you! How many bodies does that make?! Yvonne, Alexandre, and now not just Carson, but his family! You’re willing to put your work ahead of your own family?!”

“You really think they’ll stop if we do?! If the people that did this went to all this trouble, I know for a fact that they’re going to take our research and use it against us. What’s to keep them from just taking us and forcing us to start over even if we stop?! I’m sorry...but we  _ have _ to see this through to the end. If not for our sakes, then for the sake of fulfilling the legacy our friends should have gotten to share.”

Amelie leaned against the fridge, folding her arms. “What about  _ our _ family though?”

Frederick placed one hand on his wife’s shoulder. “Trust me...nobody wants our family to be safe more than me. But as long as we’re here, none of us will be safe. I think we should take the maiden voyage.”

“And never come back?” Amelie finished the thought. “Honey, you know we can’t do that. Wilfred’s still too weak, he’d  _ never _ survive the journey!”

“I know. I know. Listen, just hear me out. I talked with an old friend of yours. The one that...helped you all that time ago? He said there’s a small town. Nice and remote. It’s called Ebott. There’s a perfect little orphanage there-”

“No! Absolutely not! How could you even suggest such a thing?!”

“I’m trying to keep us all safe!”

Amelie slapped his hand away. “You are asking me to abandon our  _ son _ ! He’s not even a year old!”

“You don’t think I know that?!” Frederick shouted back. “But you have to listen! As long as we’re with him, he’ll never be safe! I know this is hard. I’d die to stay with him. I know you would too! But...I’m not willing to die if he’s going to follow suit just a few seconds later. We  _ have _ to do this for his own good! He won’t have to know what happened. All he’ll know is how to be happy. He’ll have friends. They won’t find him. They won’t have a need to. Amelie...you need to trust me. Alright?”

Her vision blurred. Quickly she turned away, unwilling to let her husband see her tears. She knew he was right. As long as they stayed, they were a threat to their son’s life.

“When?”

“Tonight. I’ve already made the plans. He said he’d get in touch with you to finalize transportation. Maybe...Maybe when it’s safe we can come back. But not before. Please Amelie...for our son…”

She nodded, leaning against him. He held her in an embrace, chin on her head as she started to weep.

* * *

“UPH-” Frisk grunted as the Comet shot out of the void, throwing him forward against the belts. An alarm started blaring from the console as the Comet shook. 

“ah hell, they shot one of the engines, we need to put her down,  _ now _ ! frisk, activate the emergency retro-rockets, that panel over there! hurry!” Sans pointed at one of the panels on the dash near the edge. Frisk, still wheezing, leaned forward, setting to work. Sans jerked hard on the controls, just trying to keep the Comet in the air.

A loud chunk rang out, and all at once the Comet started tilting down and right.

“What was that?!” Frisk yelled over the din, pausing in his work. 

“just lost the stabilizers, frisk, i need those rockets up pronto or we’re not going to be around much longer!” 

Frisk nodded, and jerked the lever towards himself. Almost immediately the ship began to even out, but it was still rapidly heading for the trees. Sans slammed one of the buttons next to the controls. The Comet lurched as it slowed dramatically, but by now it was clear: the crash was inevitable.

“brace yourselves!” Sans called back, still fighting with the wheel. Branches went flying as the wings clipped the thin trees. Frisk closed his eyes. Then, impact! All the ship shuddered as the belly of the Comet struck the ground, sliding for several meters before coming to a rest. Next the rest of the Comet powered down slowly, the alarm still whining from the dash. From one of the exterior cameras, Frisk saw smoke. Sans pushed another button, and fans started clearing out the smoke. He huffed.

“everyone alright?”

Frisk nodded. Alphys grunted, still holding one hand to her bloody shoulder. Flowey wrestled his buckles loose, before lashing out.

“What kinda landing was that?!”

“what do you want me to do?! ain’t my fault we were getting shot at!” he snapped back. 

Frisk stood. “ _ HEY! _ In case you haven’t noticed, we aren’t exactly out of the woods yet.”

Flowey’s eye twitched. Instantly Frisk realized what he said. “Pun not intended. Look, the point is we’re still in trouble. Now instead of fighting with each other, let’s get the hell out of here and start worrying about helping Alphys. Alright?!” 

He walked to his friend, helping her out of the seat. He supported her as Flowey and Sans glanced at each other, somewhat begrudgingly, then wandered to the door. Sans opened one of the panels near the hatch, pushing a red emergency button. The hatch groaned as it forced itself open. 

The skeleton led the way, hopping down from the Comet, Flowey close behind. Frisk and Alphys followed, as Sans stopped to help Alphys down. The Comet had crashed into a gulley, with woods all around. Rushing water was audible close by. Sans looked to the wreckage, while Frisk helped Alphys sit down against one of the gulley walls. 

“Y...Y-You don’t have to w-worry about me F-Frisk. I’m f-fine.”

“No you’re not,” Flowey said, kneeling with Frisk close by. “You guys have a first-aid kit in there?”

“Y-Yeah. To the r-right of the hatch.”

Flowey grunted, going to retrieve it. As he climbed back inside, Alphys looked over to Frisk.

“You’ve...seen him like this m-more than I have...when...when will the prince c-come back?”

Frisk sighed. “I don’t know. Could be a few minutes, could be a couple hours, maybe even a day or two. He’ll come back when he’s ready.” Flowey re-emerged from the Comet, carrying the black bag with a red cross on the front of it. He tossed it to Frisk, who quickly unzipped it. Then he began bandaging the wound. Alphys winced.

“Th-That won’t d-do anything to c-cure it, only p-prolong infection.”

“Hey, that’s something right?” Frisk grinned, trying to look confident. Sans sighed. 

“well, she’s in bad shape. they shot one of the engines just before we jumped away. it’s fixable, but it’ll take time. the damage to the engine spread to our stabilizers which are completely gone, we’ll need about another week for me to fix those. at least the airbrake did its job, prevented too much damage on impact. the next biggest question then’ll be how much damage was done to the structure when we hit the ground. all in all, i’d predict an easy month or two of repairs before we’re up and running again.

Frisk walked over, muttering quietly to Sans. “Alphys might not have that long. You and I both know that we aren’t equipped to deal with wounds like that. That kit is only going to do so much.”

Sans glanced over. “i know. just...trying to think this through one thing at a time. one or two of us should go, see if there’s anyone close by that can help. there’s also the issue of our little friends. if they can follow us to one world, then no doubt they can follow us to another. we’re on the clock, so i suggest that we start by-”

Nearby the distinct sound of a cocked gun rang out. They froze. 

“Hands up. All of you!” 

Gradually, the trio followed the order. Frisk turned, and on top of the gulley stood a young man, definitely human. In fact, he didn’t look too much older than Frisk himself. In his hands was a hunting rifle...the barrel pointed straight down at Alphys. The man glared over the group.

“You have exactly ten seconds to give me a good reason why I shouldn’t shoot you all right now.”


	2. Sanctuary

A low growl rumbled in Flowey's throat as his eyes followed along the gun's trajectory from its barrel. Sans glanced over his shoulder.

"easy…" He then addressed their unexpected visitor, "we don't want any trouble! we've just had an accident. alright?"

The young man scoffed. "Just an accident, huh? You expect me to believe that, when you're in some experimental new fighter, and with a KID as a hostage no less!"

"Just say when, and I can drop him," Flowey muttered.

Frisk put an arm across Flowey's chest, keeping him back, hissing in return, "Don't be an idiot." Then he spoke up.

"Look, man, I think there's been a misunderstanding! This isn't really a fighter! And, I'm not their hostage. Look, whoever you think we are, I can guarantee that we're not."

The man narrowed his eyes. "Bet that's your cover story right? That's what you were all told to say? Oh, but I know why you're here. You're here to KILL me, right?! Finish me off?!"

"Th-They're telling...th-the truth!" Alphys squeaked, by now trying to cower away from the gun. He glanced down to her, allowing Frisk to get a few more words in.

"Listen to us! We're not here to kill you. We just got here, heck, we don't even know who you are! Let's just be calm, alright? The accident is true. We crash-landed here just a few minutes ago. Our friend there's hurt. We just need some help. If you won't help us, then fine. Can you at least point us in the direction of someone who will?"

By now, conflict sparked in the local's eyes. He glanced to the smoking Comet.

"How do I know you're telling the truth?"

"The two monsters behind me are my friends! And both of them are very powerful. I've seen it firsthand. If they wanted to hurt you, they would have done it a long time ago."

A tense silence dragged on, as all five of them glanced among themselves, trying to determine who would make the next move. Frisk noticed one of Flowey's hands tightening, and he prepared to stop him again, but before Flowey could lash out, the man lowered his rifle.

"I know I'll regret this…" He slid down the side of the bank into the gulley, crouching by Alphys. Upon seeing the blood, he stood up.

"I got a cabin about a ten minute walk from here. I can help her there."

The other three dropped their arms, and Frisk quickly knelt beside Alphys, helping her stand back up. He nodded at the stranger as he slung the rifle over his shoulder. In reply, he tossed Frisk a bottle of water, nodding at Alphys.

"So. What can I call you folks? Think it's only fair I know the names of the people that tore up my backyard."

"frisk, alphys, asriel, and sans."

"Bullshit," the man shot back. "I've met Asriel. Trust me, if you were him, I'd know it when I saw it."

The prince grunted under his breath, "Oh boy, here we go."

Sans couldn't stop the exasperation from seeping into his voice. "look buddy, it's a long story."

"What about you?" Frisk asked with a little grunt as he helped push Alphys up out of the gulley before climbing out himself, while the stranger grabbed her uninjured arm to help her out.

"Name's Cole. C'mon, it's this way." He led the way into the trees The rest of the group followed, with Alphys leaning on Frisk's side as they trudged on. Frisk gazed around at the thick trees, and the sounds of little critters rustling in the undergrowth.

"Is it just you out here?"

"Closest town is over ten miles from here. I can help you out for the day, but then I'm going to ask you to move on."

Frisk said nothing. Soon, they reached a small dirt road. Just a few dozen feet up the road was a wooden cabin, with a lone extinguished lamp hanging from the porch. It almost looked like a cabin one would simply rent for a weekend instead of live in. Gravel crunched beneath their feet as they walked up the steps to the porch. Cole opened the door, stepping aside to let them help Alphys inside, before calling out.

"Julia, you home?" He went further inside, leaving the group alone. It was warm in the cabin, the sort of warm you only feel when you're at home. Sunshine poured in through the windows, filling the cabin with natural light. The only electrical appliance Frisk could see at first glance was a small television in what he assumed was the living room.

Before he could dwell on it further, Cole reappeared with a young woman just behind him. Her eyes widened when she saw them.

"Oh!...You...didn't tell me they were…"

"Yeah, I know. I can't believe I'm doing it either." Cole huffed, nodding to Alphys. "This is Julia. She can help get you fixed up." Alphys nodded wearily as Julia approached cautiously. She took Alphys's uninjured arm, wrapping it over her shoulders, helping her limp down the hallway into one of the rooms. Cole jerked his head to what looked like the kitchen area, sitting down at a wooden dining table. The others awkwardly sat across from him.

"Will she be alright?" Asriel's eyes had returned to their more friendly white, looking like himself again.

"She's in good hands. Enough of that though. You've made a lot of noise by crashing into our backyard. I want to know why."

Frisk glanced awkwardly at the others. Asriel lowered his head, leaving Sans to do the talking.

"like i said, it's a long story... crazy one too."

"We have time."

Taking a deep breath, Sans began the tale. "we aren't from around here. quite literally. In fact we come from a different universe. see where we're from, we've started looking into...well, multi-dimensional travel. that thing we crashed in is our ship. to put it simply, this isn't the first world we've been in, it's actually the second. someone sabotaged our machine and caused us to jump accidentally. we're just trying to find our way back home. look, i know it sounds nuts...and i know you won't believe us...but that's the truth. So when i say that's asriel...it really is asriel. just, maybe not the one you know."

Cole leaned back in his chair, folding his hands in his lap. "You know, I would say you're crazy..." The group waited in anticipation as he paused. "...but I think I have to give you the benefit of the doubt." Before he could continue, Julia walked back into the room, going to the sink. Frisk could see the blood on her hands as she washed it off. Asriel noticed it too.

"Is she going to be alright?"

Julia didn't turn around, instead answering the question with a question. "What happened to her?"

Cole looked back to Sans, who averted his eyes. Frisk glanced over at his friend, before opting to tell the truth.

"She was shot." Instantly their hosts tensed up.

"By what? That wound's unlike anything I've seen!" Julia exclaimed.

"plasma gun," Sans grunted, following Frisk's lead. "whoever sabotaged us came after us in their own machine. we were just about to leave when they attacked us. we just barely escaped with our lives. we've...bought ourselves some time here, but if they can track us to one world, they'd certainly be able to track us to another. that's why we need to leave as soon as we can."

"If you've brought trouble to my doorstep, then whoever's hunting you will be the least of your concerns."

Seeing the tension rising, Frisk tried to change the subject. "Alphys, how is she?" he persisted. Cole glanced to Julia, who sighed skeptically.

"It's bad. I've patched it up as best as I can, but infection seems to have set in quick. I'd guess that crash didn't help. We need to get her to a hospital."

Cole waved his hand dismissively. "No, too risky. Can't imagine that'd go down well, not to mention it'd bring every police agency in the country coming for us…"

Asriel growled. "That's my friend. Why can't we take her to emergency? She clearly needs it!"

"It's complicated," Julia shot back defensively.

"A while ago there was a huge war between humans and monsters. We lost. Three human countries fell as a result. Several years into the occupation, a resistance movement known as the Torin Republic rose up. I ended up joining them," Cole explained.

Frisk's eyes widened. "Wait, you're some sort of resistance fighter?"

"I was." Cole's eyes darkened. "Couple years into the fighting, we had this plan to kidnap the prince. Asriel. It went off without a hitch! But...it soon started to deteriorate."

"What happened?" Now Asriel was curious.

"She did." He glanced to Julia. "Julia's my sister. They arrested her on false charges, threatened to send her to a special institution under a mountain for political prisoners. It's a death sentence. They said they'd release her if I broke out the prince...so I did. I fled the country with her after that. Just a few months later, the movement was crushed. Now, though, the king's started turning his sights elsewhere. War's just on the corner. All the borders have been closed, too. So if we suddenly turn up at a hospital with a monster who's been shot by some sort of technology we don't have yet…"

"it'll light the fire," Sans finished the statement. Cole nodded grimly.

"Look, we can't get your friend the help she needs here. But...we can help you find your way home."

Frisk started to get excited. "You know about multiverse travel?!"

"I don't." Cole leaned forward. "But I know people who do. Look, shortly after the Republic fell, some of the survivors started reaching out to each other, forming our own little network to keep tabs on each other. Now two of these contacts of mine _claimed_ that they had vast knowledge about the multiverse, even got here via that type of travel! I completely dismissed them as crazy...well, until you showed up that is."

Even Sans was starting to cheer up now. "sounds great! when can we meet them?"

Cole looked to the table. "That's...the tricky part. They're still living in one of the monster occupied cities, Kester, in the occupied country Chodoria. To get there, we'd have to smuggle you across the border. Now, the trouble isn't really getting you in...it's getting you back out. The monsters have locked down everything tight. So it'll be tricky. Now, once we're inside, Sans, Asriel, you two shouldn't have to worry. It's more Frisk and I we'd have to worry about…"

"Can it be done?" Frisk asked hopefully. Cole twiddled his thumbs.

"It won't be easy...but I think so, yes. Let me reach out to some of my other contacts, see what we can do."

Julia piped up again. "I'll stay here with Alphys, help her out any way I can."

Sans nodded approvingly. "sounds like a plan. i just hope we can get back home in time."


	3. Trailblazing

The studded tires crunched on the gravel. Cole grunted as he wheeled out the second of two quads. At last he shut the shed door behind him, then looked to the back door, watching as Frisk wandered out, Sans and Asriel in tow. The trio were carrying backpacks. Cole tightened the straps on his own.

"You got everything?"

Frisk gave him a thumbs up, picking up one of the helmets he had set out on the seat of the quads. Spying Julia lingering in the doorway, he glanced at their companions before walking up the couple steps. She folded her arms.

"I don't like this. There's too much in question."

"I agree. But at any rate, it's too risky to keep them cooped up here anyway. You know the plan if I don't come back or find a way to get in touch. The scientist, she doing any better?"

"Still sleeping," Julia murmured back. Cole nodded.

"Keep an eye on her all the same. We both know how tricky their type can be."

Julia frowned slightly at the statement, but nodded. He gave her a quick hug. "We'll try to be back in a day or two."

Julia nodded, turning around, walking back inside. Cole stepped down from the back porch.

"Any of you driven one of these before?"

Asriel and Frisk both raised their hands. Cole nodded, grabbing his own helmet.

"Alright Frisk, you ride with me. You two can take the other, follow behind us. Be careful. It's too risky to take the roads, we'll have to cut through the bush. Should be there in half an hour give or take."

Asriel stepped onto his designated quad, taking a second before firing it up. Frisk slid onto the back of Cole's as it purred to life. Leading the way, Cole immediately turned hard left, going along a narrow footpath into the trees. The going was slow, but still much faster than walking. For the first five minutes of the journey, they travelled in silence. Frisk was just starting to let his eyes wander as Cole suddenly called over his shoulder, just loud enough for him to hear.

"Your friends. Can I trust them?"

"What?!" Frisk leaned forward to hear better.

"Your friends! I haven't had the most pleasant of experiences with other monsters. I need to know that where we're going, I can trust them with my life/ Are they loyal to you?"

"We're loyal to each other," Frisk replied, as annoyance tinged his tone. "They've saved my life a couple times in the past, they're cool. What about this contact of yours? Can we trust them?"

Cole stole a glance at the second quad following close behind. Hesitating just a moment. "Dante's been good to me. He helped me get set up out here. If I can trust in them, you can trust in him!"

"So what's the plan anyway?"

"Dante'll meet us on the border. He should have some alternate transportation for us. We ditch the quads, and pick them up again when we come back; they aren't exactly common city vehicles. Should take us about a day to get in, and another to get out if everything goes smoothly. With any luck, we'll be back for supper tomorrow."

Frisk nodded, focusing now on not falling off the quad as they rumbled over the bumpy path.

* * *

The house was quiet, Julia noted. Well, it was always quiet when Cole left. But something about it just felt a bit emptier now. She shook the thoughts away, picking up the tray before carrying it down the hall to the guest room. Before she entered she peeked inside, pushing it the rest of the way open, smiling as she saw Alphys stir.

"Morning. Brought you some breakfast."

Alphys rolled her head over, breaking a smile of her own as she yawned.

"Y-Y-You shouldn't have…"

"Hey, don't worry." She smiled, sitting in a chair beside her bed, and helped the scientist sit up so she could eat. On the tray were two pieces of toast, a glass of water and a bowl of cereal. "Sorry it isn't much, we were _going_ to do some shopping yesterday, but uh, well you guys kind of dropped in."

"I-It's alright. Where are th-the others?"

"Oh! Uh," Julia shuffled her hands. "They left to find some help. One of Cole's old friends might know how to get you guys home."

"How am I d-doing?"

"Truthfully? You need further help. But there's nothing we can do for you for now. They should be back in a day or two, and then we can quickly get you home, you can get help there."

There was a moment of awkward silence.

"What's it like in your world?" Julia finally queried, the curiosity practically eating her alive. Alphys shrugged.

"It's uh, it's alright. Doesn't l-look a lot different from this world."

Julia nodded slightly, then giggled. "Cole and I should visit sometime."

Alphys smiled cheekily. "W-Well, this place i-is in our nav logs now, we-we could come back here wh-whenever we wanted, technically!"

Julia chuckled again, before standing up. "I'll uh, let you get some rest. Just holler if you need anything, I'll come back in an hour or so to change your bandages. Just rest easy."

"I w-will. Oh h-hey!"

Julia paused as she reached the door.

"...Thanks."

"No prob." The sound of her retreating footsteps faded as Alphys was left along to her thoughts.

* * *

The path widened slightly as the group neared their destination. Cole gave the little horn on the quad two beeps as they approached a small clearing. Almost immediately, a sedan rolled from behind the undergrowth. The driver was a young man, looking similar age to Cole. He turned the quad off, jumping off as he approached him, a grin on his face.

"Dante, my man!" He chuckled, clasping the man's hand, the two giving each other a friendly hug. Dante grinned broadly.

"Cole, you son of a gun. How's your sister?"

"Julia's fine, thanks. I'll tell her you said hi."

Frisk hopped off the quad as Asriel rolled up behind them, turning his off too.

Dante peered over Cole's shoulder. "These the others?"

"Yeah, that's them. How's the car, everything set?"

Dante tossed Cole the keys. "Plates have been registered, so you shouldn't have much trouble there. Just stay away from the highways and any major roads. They beefed up patrols. Stick to the back roads, if you can. Do that, you should be right as rain."

Cole flashed Dante a thumbs up. "I owe you one, brother. Alright, let's go guys!"

"What about him?" Frisk asked as he followed.

Dante smirked. "Don't worry about me. I'm going to make sure nobody finds these quads, keep them safe until you get back. Hey Cole, just make sure you don't scratch one up this time, alright? It ain't cheap to fix."

Cole chuckled. "You know as well as I do, that was a one-time thing. We'll be back tomorrow unless I say otherwise."

Dante gave him a little wink. The trio climbed into the car with Cole, who peeled away down the dirt path.

"Settle in, guys. Got a long way ahead of us."

* * *

Twigs crunched beneath the feet of the two trackers. Renae fidgeted with one hand slightly, keeping her finger on the trigger of her plasma rifle. She rolled her head, keeping her gaze locked forward. There was a pause from her partner just up ahead as he glanced over his shoulder.

"You good?"

Renae scoffed. "Course I'm okay, Lance, just let him get one up on me. It won't happen again."

Lance eyed her, then gave a curt nod, pressing onwards into the gully. In front of them was the wreckage of the ship. One of Renae's scaled ears twitched. Silently they approached the open door, pressing their backs against the side. Renae stole a quick glance around the gulley, before giving Lance a firm pat on the shoulder.

Without a moment's hesitation, Lance stepped around the corner, walking inside, rifle raised, Renae right behind.

"Clear," Lance spoke from the cockpit. Renae nodded, walking back outside. She lowered her rifle, starting to examine the clearing. Then, she frowned as she spied skid marks running down one side. As she went to investigate, she heard Lance turn on his radio.

"Blackhawk to Panther, come back."

"Receiving you, Blackhawk." The familiar voice stated.

"We found the Comet. She's pretty damaged, they won't be going anywhere for a while."

"Any sign of the objective?"

"Negative. They fled the scene. Could be anywhere."

Renae climbed up the side of the gulley, a grin breaking out over her face as she stared at the dirt, looking off into the trees. Seeing her growing anticipation, Lance moved to join her. Renae set her rifle on the ground, taking her own radio with her now free hand.

"Panther, I don't think they've gone far. We have some tracks here leading away from the scene. Might be a complication though. You said there were four tangos? Well, there are five sets of prints. Looks like they found help."

The commander's voice crackled back. "Do you know how many exactly?"

"Negative. At least one, but I wouldn't be surprised if they were more. They might have a camp set up somewhere close by. Please advise?"

There was a moment of silence.

"Follow the trail, keep at a distance. If you find where they're holed up, do _not_ engage. Report back first."

"Solid copy, Panther. Blackhawk out." She disconnected her radio again, picking up her rifle.

Lance smirked. "Well, you heard the man. Let's get moving."

Renae scanned the trees once more, while Lance kept his eyes on the dirt, following the trail deeper into the forest.


	4. Reunion

A slight shaking jerked Frisk awake, and he blinked the sleep out of his eyes. Cole's voice brought him fully into the waking world.

"Wake up. We're almost there."

Asriel was just starting to stir from the backseat of the sedan. Beside him, Sans was sitting in the same position as the last time Frisk had checked on him. Next, Frisk looked forwards, noticing the taller buildings starting to grow closer together.

"Where are we?"

"Kester. We're about ten minutes out."

Frisk's eyes looked to the sidewalk, falling on two monsters in black fatigues, firearms at their waists.

"Lower your head. The last thing we need is to draw attention to ourselves...Dante's right, patrols _have_ stepped up recently."

Frisk followed Cole's advice, averting his gaze as they passed by the patrol A few blocks down the road he pulled into a parking garage. "We get out here, walk the rest of the way. The place should be just around the corner."

Frisk undid the seatbelt, stepping out of the car. The sound of the car doors closing echoed around the large garage, the sedan blending in nicely with other traffic parked up in the structure. But instead of walking out the front, Cole led the way further into the back, to a door leading out to a back alleyway.

"Through here. We'll take the back roads until we get there. Don't want to risk raising any attention."

The trio followed their guide in silence, slipping out the back into the alleyway. A car honked in the bustle of the city. Cole pulled the hood of his jacket over his head as he walked down to the edge of the alleyway. He glanced cautiously both ways before poking out, quickly blending in with the foot traffic, or what little there was. Frisk and the others quickly joined him.

Frisk made sure to keep his eyes trained on his feet, following Cole's as he led the way down the road. He could practically feel the tension in the air. The city looked so much like Slagos back home, but hostility prickled like a knife to his throat. Even Sans tucked his hands further into his sweater pockets, trying to avoid any unwanted attention. Asriel glanced at one of the larger buildings, before suddenly picking up the pace just a bit to catch up to Frisk. He leaned over, whispering into his ear.

"I think we're being watched…"

Frisk didn't look up. "What makes you think that? You see something?" he muttered back.

"No...something just feels off about this."

Cole surprisingly replied to the comment, "Well, we _are_ walking illegally in a country preparing for war."

Asriel fell back in silence. Cole shrugged. "What? When you're like me, you learn how to pick up a keen ear. This should be the place." He suddenly turned left, walking towards one of the smaller homes on the block. At the door, he paused, and gave the doorbell two rings. A woman's voice called through the door.

"Hello?"

Cole cleared his throat. "I've got a special order here for room 9 and a half."

There was a brief pause, before the woman called back. "Are you sure you don't mean ten and a half?"

"No ma'am, it's the one with extra olives."

Frisk frowned. "I know that voice…"

"what?" Sans replied. The sound of clicking came from the door as it was unlocked, and it swung wide open. Frisk couldn't see around Cole.

"Good to see you made it alright. Come inside, quickly. Now, who're these friends you speak of?" the woman queried as she stood aside, letting them in.

Cole nodded as he walked into the humble home. "Thank you. The monsters are Sans and Asriel. They're both cool, I've been assured. The kid's name is Frisk."

"Fr…" She paused as Frisk walked inside. She closed the door, then her eyes widened. One of her hands covered her mouth when she saw him.

"Frisk?...Frisk Carroway?"

Cole turned around, and Asriel narrowed his eyes. Sans remained unmoving while Frisk tensed up.

"How do you know my name?"

She didn't reply, instead calling into the house. "Frederick?!" Frederick wandered into the room.

"These our guests, Amelie?" Then his own eyes settled on Frisk as he gasped. "As I live and breathe...Wilfred?"

Cole glanced to Frisk incredulously. "You know each other?"

Frisk shook his head. "I sure don't."

Amelie had tears in her eyes. "H-How could you remember? You were s-so young!...Wilfred...we...we're your parents!"

The words hit Frisk like a freight train. He started to stumble, caught only by Asriel. Thoughts started racing through Frisk's head as a bead of sweat formed.

"No...No that isn't possible, my parents are dead! I'm from an orphanage!"

"An orphanage that we sent you to," Frederick tried to explain.

A wave of dizziness washed over Frisk, and he lurched towards the dining room table.

"Wh...Wha…" Asriel grunted, catching him as he nearly fell. "Here buddy, just take a seat…"

Frisk shook Asriel off. " _NO!_ " he shouted, causing Asriel to jump slightly. Frisk huffed. "I...I need some air."

Immediately Frisk stalked to the door, throwing it open and walking out. Cole stood up.

"Frisk, wait!"

Sans grabbed Cole's arm. "Let him go. I...think he needs a moment."

Asriel sighed. "I'll talk to him." He quickly ran out, closing the door after them. Sans turned to his parents.

"I've known that kid for years now. And trust me, he's adamant his parents died, or just up and vanished somewhere. So you need to tell me. Are you really his parents?"

Amelie nodded, looking somewhat distraught. "Cross my heart we are. I...We, never thought we'd ever see him again...he wasn't even a year old...wait, you said you've known him for years...what happened to...well, you know…"

Sans nodded, understanding their curiosity. "Why don't we all take a seat? You've...you've missed a lot."

* * *

Asriel broke onto the street curb, spotting Frisk walking back to the alleyway.

"Frisk, wait up!" he called, sprinting after his friend. As he rounded the corner, he found Frisk doubled over, breathing heavily.

"You alright?"

"What do you think?!" Frisk shouted. "For YEARS, my whole LIFE I thought that they were just gone! I told myself I would never know who they were, or where they went, or how they died. Then we just, _happen_ to find them here?! How do you think I feel?! They abandoned me!"

"Frisk, I'm sure they had a good reason for that. I can't imagine parents that'd want to ditch their kid willingly. I mean look at all the dangerous situations we were in throughout the years, maybe they were in one too!"

"And why couldn't they have taken me here with them?!" Frisk countered. Asriel truthfully didn't have an answer. He glanced back to the main road.

"Look, we aren't safe here. Why don't we go back and just...give them a chance to explain themselves? I'm not saying you have to like them, just hear them out. Alright? I'm sure they have a good reason for it." Frisk kept his eyes trained ahead, looking at something past Asriel as he tried to calm his racing heart.

"I feel sick."

Asriel chuckled. "That's just shock, buddy. You'll get over it. C'mon, let's go before someone decides to poke around."

* * *

"...and, that's how we ended up here." Sans finished with the story. Frederick closed his eyes, processing everything he had just heard.

"Let me get this straight...our son has the ability to turn back time and basically...get a do-over? And he used this ability to help reverse time to win an unwinnable war?"

"Had," Sans corrected. "But yeah. Like i said, you missed a lot."

Amelie shook her head with disbelief. "I can't believe it...that must have been hard, knowing the fate of the world rests on your shoulders?"

Sans scoffed. "It probably would have helped if his parents could help keep his spirits up."

"Look, what happened was not our fault. We had to do it," Amelie snapped.

At that moment, they all looked to the door as it opened. In walked Frisk, with Asriel just behind.

"Speaking of, why don't you explain this to your _son_? I'm sure we'd all like to hear this."

Sans pulled out a chair for Frisk, who simply walked over and sat in it without saying a word. Asriel leaned against the wall. Amelie gave a heavy sigh, leaning forward to take Frisk's hand.

"Wilfred-"

"My name's Frisk," Frisk muttered. "Just...please use that instead? It...It'll be easier for me."

She sighed. "Frisk...I know you might find it hard to forgive us...but trust me, we didn't have a choice."

Silence.

She continued, "See...you actually were not the first group within, as I understand it, your universe to discover multiverse travel. Actually, Frederick and I were among the first. Back in the day, we were obsessed with space travel. Colonization of other planets, you name it. But, we accidentally cracked the code for inter-dimensional travel, while trying to figure out light-speed travel.

"Now, obviously we'd have to construct a vessel and a way of navigating. So we created a team of the best minds from around the world, and we got straight to work. Everything was going great! Within a couple years we had our vessel constructed...but in the middle of this project...you were born. That...I remember that being the best day of our lives, was when you made your entrance…"

Frisk felt a single tear welling up, but he managed to fight it back.

"A couple months later, we recorded an anomaly in our atmosphere. As though something had just shot through it...but never hit the ground. That was the first strange thing. Just a couple weeks later, the scientists...our friends, began disappearing. One by one they vanished...until four months later. That's when the police...began finding bodies. One by one our friends were unburied. The final straw came when one of the scientists turned up, along with his family. All of them...had been shot."

Frisk looked up. "Their family?"

Frederick nodded somberly. "The other scientists had their families untouched. The police thought that the family realized what was happening, so they couldn't leave...witnesses. One of those family members was a kid, Frisk. Not even ten years old. Shot in the head. At that point we knew it was only a matter of time before they came for us. We still assume they wanted our research for themselves. We knew that as long as we were around, you wouldn't be safe...but we couldn't...take you with us. You were still too fragile, you never would have survived…"

"So you dropped me in an orphanage to protect me," Frisk finished the story, looking to the floor.

"Frisk...there was not one day that went by that we didn't want to come find you. But we knew you wouldn't be safe if we returned. And after all that...you end up here, hunted by the same people that hunted us."

Cole cut into the conversation. "Look, I love a good family reunion, and I'm sorry to break this up, but we're losing track of time here. Look guys, their ship crashed here after being damaged in a firefight. They need help to get back home. Do you guys have your ship lying around somewhere?"

Frederick shook his head. "'Fraid not, son. But, I do remember how to build it. We could come on down, see what we can do. When do we leave?"

Cole smirked. "How soon can you get packed?"

* * *

A black-clad monster walked into the hotel room, nodding at his avian companion before looking to a similarly dressed man at the edge of the room.

"Chapman, sir." The monster tossed him a radio. "Blackhawk's reporting in. They say they have something for you."

Chapman turned the radio on. "Go for Panther." Renae's voice crackled back.

"We found where they're holed up. Some cabin. Remote. Doesn't look like anyone's home. Should we move to secure?"

He narrowed his eyes, spotting his targets slink from the alleyway, and approach one of the small homes across the street. One of the scientists was not among them.

"Negative, Blackhawk. I think there might be one still there. Maintain surveillance, report back if you see anything. Panther out." He turned the radio off.

"Deren, your specs." Deren, the avian monster on the bed, grabbed a pair of binoculars and tossed them to Chapman. He looked through them down at the house, watching the door open. Though he couldn't see who answered the door, he watched the human lead the group inside.

Still, he kept observing, arching an eyebrow when the kid walked out...alone.

"Hello...what's going on here?" He mumbled to himself, watching as the prince chased after him. The kid looked upset. His curiousness grew. As they left his sight, he looked back to the house. He felt his skin grow cold though as he watched a man approach the blinds. Before he pulled them though, Chapman got a very clear look at who it was. Immediately he turned on the radio.

"Panther to Blackhawk."

The radio squawked. "Recieving Panther?"

Chapman set the binoculars down. "We have a problem."


	5. Captive

"What kind of problem?" Renae crackled back over the radio. Chapman kept staring out the window.

"Phoenix is here."

Deren looked up, eyes widening in disbelief. As silence fell over the radio, the other monster in the room spoke up.

"I thought we took care of them." Chapman grunted in response. "We scared them off. But if you recall, Maddick, we let them get away."

Renae's voice came over again. "That changes things...what's the plan?"

"Well, the way I see it we realistically only have one option. Now that they've made contact, they're likely going to get their help in repairing the Comet, meaning that closes our window drastically. I propose we go after them. All of them."

"What about the kid?" Deren called back, loud enough for Renae to hear. "And the prince as a matter of a fact? Renae you know firsthand that they're also not to be trifled with. You really think they're just going to let us take them?"

"We can cross that bridge when we get to it." Chapman snapped. "For now, we'd really have to check our fire. If we're going to move, we have to go now. So if anybody has objections…" Despite a glance from Deren to Maddick, there was silence.

"Good. Blackhawak, maintain surveillance, wait for further orders. Panther out." He shut the radio off, grabbing his plasma rifle. He pulled the bandanna up over his nose, nodding to the others.

"Let's move."

* * *

Frisk leaned against the wall, eyes trained on the floor. Cole pulled down the blinds beside him, looking out to the road. Frederick and Amelie were in the process of grabbing their go-bags. Asriel and Sans meanwhile were keeping an eye on the rear windows, watching the alleyway behind the home. Cole glanced over to Frisk.

"You good?"

Frisk glanced up. "Just found out my parents are in fact not dead, and sent me off to protect me from the same killers that are trying to get us now, sixteen years later? Doing about as well as you can expect." He muttered sarcastically, much to Cole's amusement.

"Yeah, from the sound of it you've had a hell of a life. And here I thought mine was crazy." Frisk looked off to the side. Cole suddenly frowned, looking up at the hotel across the street. He spotted a pair of eyes staring back, before the blinds quickly shut. Immediately an uneasy feeling rose within him.

"We need to leave. Now." He reached behind, pulling a pistol out from his waistband. He called into the house.

" _Hey!_ Time's up, we're leaving!" Frederick quickly came downstairs where Amelie was already waiting. Cole raised a hand as they started for the front door.

"Not that way. Out the back." He jerked his head. Frisk followed his gaze through the blinds, just in time to see three gunmen walk from the hotel, dressed in black, plasma rifles in hand. Cole jerked the blinds up, firing out through the window. The gunshots sent the gunmen scrambling.

"Go!" He shouted to Frisk, shoving him to the backdoor. Already the others were ducking out into the alleyway as Frisk sprinted through the kitchen. He darted into the alleyway after them, Cole exiting last, slamming the door shut behind them. Cole took the lead, shooting at the lock on the apartment building just in front of them. He threw his weight against the door, shoving it open.

"Come on!" Frisk waited while Frederick and Amelie rushed in, Sans ducking in after. Before Frisk could follow though, he froze as he saw the back door of the house kicked open. One of the masked gunmen raised a gun, hesitating when he stared Frisk down. Asriel grabbed Frisks' arm, jerking him inside. Shaking himself from his momentary trance he was quick to follow the others. Frederick pushed ahead of Cole.

"Follow me. We've got a getaway car in the parking bay." The man reached into his go-bag, pulling out a pistol of his own. Just as they started down the staircase, they heard the door being kicked back open. Amelie quickly reached into her own bag.

"Here." She called to Frisk, tossing him another pistol. "I'm not the best with them, sounds like you know what you're doing." Frisk nodded at his mother, cocking the gun.

Frederick led the way through the door at the bottom. Frisk remained at the tail of the line, preparing to follow. He gasped as he slipped near the bottom, falling hard on his side. He let out a shout of pain, grabbing the attention of Asriel, who was already well into the garage. The prince started running back. Hearing footsteps on the stairwell above, Frisk frantically reached up, closing the door, cutting Asriel off. He banged on the window, shouting inward.

"What are you doing?!"

"Buying you some time...nnh... _GO!_ " Frisk hollered back. He put his back against the door, aiming the gun up at the stairwell. He didn't look to see if Asriel had left. A black boot and a rifle barrel poked around the corner. Immediately Frisk squeezed the trigger. The bullets slammed into the wall behind the barrel, and the mercenary ducked back. There was a brief second of silence, before a voice called around the corner.

"This is silly kid, this isn't your fight. Don't get yourself involved."

Frisk adjusted his grip. "You involved me when you shot my friend." Three more gunshots rang out. Frisk tried to inch himself closer to the wall to get a look around the corner. Just barely spying a leg, he readjusted his grip. Four more shots. The leg ducked back, and a pained yelp rang out.

Frisk smirked, seeing a small bit of red on the wall. He tried to fire again, his heard immediately sinking as instead he was met with a click. Just a split second later, the wounded soldier poked against the corner, plasma rifle trained on him. With nothing left to do, Frisk slowly raised his arms.

The leader of the mercenaries stalked downstairs, grabbing Frisk by the shirt, pulling him aside before pushing him against the wall. The other two burst through the door. Frisk smirked as he heard an engine roar, and the squealing of tires peeling away. A few shots from the plasma rifles followed. But it was just seconds before the uninjured merc sulked back in.

"Dammit!" He shouted in frustration. The leader never broke his eyes away from Frisk's. Frisk tilted his head slightly, noting a distant familiarity in them. The man grabbed his radio, turning it on.

"Panther to Blackhawk."

"Receiving Panther." A female voice replied immediately. This one Frisk recognized immediately, matching it with the monster they had fought earlier.

"Change in plan. Move in now, secure the scientist. Do what you have to. Meet at Rallypoint Gamma, I'll explain there."

He shut the radio off without waiting for a response, grunting. "I told you not to do that."

Frisk scoffed, rolling his eyes as the man pinned his arms behind his back.

* * *

"What are you doing?!" Asriel yelled. Cole turned around, eyes widening as he saw the prince still at the door.

"Buying you some time...nnh... _GO!_ " Cole grabbed Asriel's arm, pulling him from the door, towards the car.

"We have to move!"

Asriel turned on Cole. "I can't just leave him!"

"You don't have a choice! We'll come back for him!" Cole shouted back. Sans opened one of the back doors.

"what're you guys waiting for?! an invitation?!" Before Asriel could protest further, Cole shoved him into the backseat, climbing in with him.

"Drive!" Cole ordered Amelie. Sans glanced out the back window. "wait, where's frisk?"

"Holding them off, now _DRIVE_!" He barked. Amelie stamped on the accelerator. The car peeled out of the parking spot just as two mercenaries burst through the doorway. Plasma bolts struck the car, metal pangs ringing out as they quickly left the lot, skidding onto the main road. Cole turned forward.

"We need to get out of the city and off the road. Fast." Amelie nodded, taking a deep breath.

"I know a way."

Asriel balled one hand into a fist, punching the inside of the car door. "GOD DAMMIT!" He yelled, making Frederick jump.

"We shouldn't have just _LEFT_ him there!"

"We didn't have a choice!" Cole shot back.

Asriel turned on him. "That's my brother back there, if he dies because of you...and what about you?!" He rounded on his parents. "Don't you care what happens to your son?!"

Sans grabbed Asriel, shoving him back against the seat, glaring into his eyes.

"enough!" He huffed. "as much as I hate to admit it, cole's right. we'll find a way to get to him. right now though, we need to get the hell out of here."

Asriel jerked against Sans's iron grip. The skeleton lowered his voice. "hey buddy, cool it. i need _you_ right now, not the other guy. you need to stay in control. we'll get him back. i promise."

Asriel met Sans's gaze, and the skeleton saw the true fear behind his eyes. As the prince began to relax though, Sans lightened his grip, soon leaning back with a heavy sigh. Cole closed his eyes, folding his arms.

"We need a new car."


	6. Bluff

The drive back to the border was mostly in silence, save for the occasional mutter of directions from Cole. The shot up car had been ditched just a few miles away from the original firefight, the team lucky enough to find an unlocked van close by. As they pulled up into the clearing, the sun finished dipping below the horizon, leaving only the moon to provide natural light. Dante stepped from the bushes, a look of confusion on his face. As Cole stepped out, he was immediately confronted.

"What the hell? What happened to the car?"

Cole grunted. "The car's fine, we had to ditch it. Too hot. I'll make it up to you man, sorry."

As the others began stepping out, Dante noticed a crucial detail. "Hey, where's th' kid?"

Cole didn't answer him, walking past to the waiting quads. The look on Asriel's face said it all. Frisk's parents climbed up onto the second quad, with Sans getting on the back, small enough to fit. Asriel slid onto Cole's, the smaller motors revving to life. Cole switched on the quad's headlamp, gravel kicking up as he peeled back down the small footpath through the woods.

Asriel gazed at the dark trees looming all around, whisking past. His thoughts began to wander, eventually settling on Frisk. Where was he? Was he scared? Was he even alive to be afraid?

"Heads up!" Cole called back, but too late for Asriel to avoid the small branch from whipping against his cheek. He let out a little yelp, rubbing the fresh cut.

"All good?" Cole glanced over his shoulder. Asriel pulled his hand away, grunting at the small amount of blood.

"I'll be alright." Cole slowed up as the branches began to block out the moonlight, making sure the trailing quad could still see them. Cole took one hand off of the handlebars, clicking on the radio attached to the quad.

"Julia it's Cole, we're back early. We'll be arriving in a couple minutes, just so you know."

Silence greeted him. After a few seconds, Cole tried again. "Julia, you there?" More silence. Cole started speeding up again. Just a couple minutes later, the cabin came into view. Cole skidded the quad to a stop, jumping off immediately, leaving Asriel to disengage the motor. Wasting no time, he sprinted up the back steps, looking at the door handle. It was off by about an inch… Cole tried the door, hardly surprised when it crept open.

Asriel ran up the back steps behind him. Cole kept his voice down, calling back to Sans as he jumped off of the trailing quad.

"Stay with them." Sans nodded, and Asriel let a white blade materialize in his right palm, a soft white glow emitting from it. He nodded to Cole, who shoved the door open.

Inside, the lights were off, and it was eerily silent. Cole kept the pistol raised as he slowly entered into the back entryway. The wooden floor creaked under Asriel's shoes as he followed Cole in. Slowly they progressed down the hallway. Asriel gulped, keeping his blade raised, adjusting his grip. He nearly ran into Cole though when he stopped suddenly. Peering around him, he saw the same thing, the door to the guest room still open. Cole nudged it open the rest of the way with the pistol, quickly turning in. Asriel immediately followed, checking behind the door. The bed where Alphys once lay was empty.

Cole's expression didn't change though, and still no words were said as he moved back into the hallway. By now they were nearing the end of the hallway. Cole glanced to Asriel, pointing towards the living area. Asriel nodded, switching to the opposite wall. Together, they turned their corners, Cole to the kitchen, the prince to the living room. The living room was empty. He nearly jumped out of his fur though at Cole's shocked voice.

"Julia!" He switched on the light, causing Asriel to blink a few times. When his eyes adjusted, he spied Cole kneeling over Julia. She was laying on the floor, an automatic rifle beside her. It was only when he saw her chest moving before he realized he had been holding his breath. He called out the back door to Sans. "We're good, get in here!" He knelt down beside her.

"She going to be alright?"

Cole let out a sigh of relief. "Yeah, looks like she was hit over the head. She'll be fine when she wakes up, bit of a headache but that'll be it." He then spotted a radio sitting on the counter. Sans couched next to his sister, glancing up at him.

"'sup?"

"This didn't come from our house." He picked it up, looking it over. He clicked a button on the side.

"Hello?"

A brief moment passed, before a voice replied, causing Asriel to let out a growl.

"Good evening. To whom am I speaking with?"

Cole glanced to the others, before looking back at the radio.

"Cole Nelson. You the guy that broke into my home?"

"Not personally no, but I was behind it yes. Among your party should be a skeleton named Sans I believe you two have already been acquainted. I want you to pass the radio to him."

Sans suddenly jerked his head to the window, searching for something. Cole looked down, seeing a small, shivering red dot of light on his chest. He reached his hand out to Sans, who snatched the radio.

"what do you want?"

"What I want is quite simple. A prisoner exchange. Yourself and the kid's parents, for the kid. Turn yourselves in, and I shall release him immediately."

"yeah?" Sans scoffed, still scanning the treeline through the window. "and what if i tell you to burn in hell? For all i know they're already dead."

The voice crackled back. "Sans please, I'm trying to be reasonable-"

The skeleton cut him off. "you should have tried to be reasonable before getting us shot down."

He tossed the radio back to Cole. Almost immediately the voice addressed him.

"Cole, I do implore you to reason with him."

He looked to Sans, then Asriel, before replying. "...Or what? You'll kill me? No, see if you were going to do that, you would have pulled the trigger already."

"...Mr. Nelson, believe me when I say I am not a man who's bluff you want to try to call."

"Watch me." Cole glared out the window defiantly. Asriel looked nervously to Sans. Frederick and Amelie backed into the safety of the hallway as Cole continued.

"Judging by the fact that I'm not dead yet, means that you must _really_ need this trade. So killing me isn't going to do much good about it, in fact it will only make it harder. So if you're so serious about your pathetic little threat, then take the shot."

Silence fell over the radio. Cole kept his breathing steady. He couldn't see the shooter. Suddenly, the dot left his chest. Cole smirked triumphantly as he spoke once more.

"Now you listen to me. You got me involved the second you landed in this world. You hear me? You're on _my_ turf now, you play by _my_ rules. You talk to me, and only me. I'll be in touch." Before he could get a reply, he switched the radio off. Asriel sprinted for the door, but Cole called out, stopping him in his tracks.

"Don't bother, they'll be gone before you can see them. We won't find them in the dark." He knelt over his sister, picking her up in his arms, carrying her to the couch. As he laid her down, Sans approached.

"how did you know they were bluffing?"

Cole looked out the window beyond. "I didn't."

* * *

The zip ties dug into Frisk's hands whenever he moved. He had given up trying to break them a while ago. The same could be leaning his head back against the metal wall of his captor's shuttle. Beside him, Alphys shifted in uneasy slumber. He glanced down at the wound, noticing the faded red spot on the bandages. He then looked to the one monster sitting guard, his gaze ever unwavering. Frisk searched the hawk's gaze as they both heard frustrated voices just outside.

"So who is he?" The hawk tilted his head, not giving an answer. Frisk shrugged.

"Well it _is_ polite to know who's holding me hostage if he plans on killing me you know."

The hawk chuckled. "Riiight, I see what you're doing here. You know, he said you might try this. Make it personal...then toy with my feelings to free yourself. Well guess what, that ain't happening."

"And how do you know I'd try that?" Frisk countered.

"Because he knows you. Better than you know yourself. Anything you're thinking of right now, he's already accounted for. So don't, even, try." He smirked. Frisk rolled his eyes, giving up on his line of questioning for now. He glanced over as Alphys stirred. The scientist let out a quiet groan of pain as she struggled to sit herself up straight.

"Nnh…"

Frisk glanced at the hawk, before looking back to Alphys. "Hey, welcome back."

Alphys blinked groggily. "Frisk…? Wh...Wh-Where are we?" She blinked sleep from her eyes, trying to get a grasp on their bearings. Frisk looked back to their guard.

"It'd appear we've been captured." Alphys then also saw the guard. Seeing the rifle in his hands, she immediately fell still, pressing her back against the wall.

"...Right…D...D-Do the others know where w-we are?"

Frisk shook his head. "Doubt they know our precise location, I know I don't. But they definitely know we've been taken."

Trying to fill the silence, Alphys muttered back. "D-Did you m-meet up with C-Cole's contacts?"

Frisk scoffed. "Oh yeah, we met them alright."

Alphys could practically feel the tension, and gazed questioningly at her friend. Frisk shook his head.

"I'll tell you later."

Alphys gave a small nod, settling back for a long night.


	7. Anticipation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the lack of chapter uploads in recent weeks, and for how short this one is. Covid life got me crazy. I'm going to work hard at trying to get these out at a more regular rate, and at a normal length too.
> 
> Cheers!

Sans glanced down as Amelie wriggled out from under the dash. She sat up, nodding at the skeleton. "You did a good job fixing the sabotage on the wiring. Still a little off, but that'll only take a couple hours to right fully, but I think I can make it work." Sans gave a small nod, walking outside of the Comet, stepping down into the gulley the crash had formed. Frederick finished walking around the ship, scratching the back of his head. Sans kept his hands tucked in his hoodie pockets.

"Can you fix it?"

Frederick looked down at him. "Fix it? No. Make her fly? Probably. Most we'd be able to get out of her is one jump, then you'd be looking at rebuild of the whole propulsion system."

"One jump…" Sans muttered with a shake of his head. Amelie poked her head out.

"So, that means it's a good thing we know how to get home."

Rocks clattered down the slope of the gulley as Cole slid down, rifle slung over his shoulder. He nodded a greeting.

"How long before she can fly?"

Sans glared at him. "We ain't leaving until we get frisk back."

Cole replied as he slung the backpack off from his other shoulder, taking out several bags.

"I know. Need to get a timeline figured out first though We've put them off for now, but they won't wait to wait around long." He tossed a bag to each of them. "Lunch. May as well eat, no good working on an empty stomach."

Frederick took a deep breath, looking over the battered engines again. "Hard to say. If I work at it non-stop, hell I could probably have her flying before the week's done. Six days enough to work with?"

Cole began climbing out of the gulley. "I'll see what I can do!" He sat at the top as the trio settled down to break for lunch, tuning the radio.

"How's your sister?" Cole glanced at the skeleton's voice. "She's fine. Little headache of course, I'll tell you what though, she is pissed. Definitely not good when you get her angry."

Frederick gave a little chuckle, nudging Amelie. "Sounds like someone else I know." She rolled her eyes, and Sans leaned forward as Cole found the channel he wanted.

"Hey." It was just the one word, but almost immediately he got a response.

"Have you decided to agree to our terms?"

Cole looked to Sans, the skeleton giving a little nod. "Yeah, we have. In the nearby town, there's a scrapyard. Low security, out of the way, we shouldn't be disturbed. We can meet you there in four days. Just need to get some other matters straight first. Sound good?"

* * *

"...Deal." Chapman grunted, turning to Renae. "Scrapyard. Local. I want you to take Lance and some more recon. Scope the place, give me the best meeting point. Let's remember that our friend has a home field advantage, so let's be on our toes."

Renae grunted as she stood, giving a curt nod. "Sir." She left to track down Lance. Chapman noticed Deren through the open door of their shuttle, uncertainty flaring in his eyes.

"Something wrong Deren?"

The hawk shook his head. "No sir."

Chapman searched his gaze for but a moment, before giving a little nod. "Good."

Before he could take a seat himself, Renae reappeared, approaching him. She glanced to the ship, keeping her voice low.

"Look I know it might not be right at the time...but something about what Nelson said is bugging me. He made you sound like you were desperate."

Chapman leaned against a tree, trying to act nonchalant. "And…?"

Renae shrugged pointedly. " _Are_ we desperate?"

"What are you trying to say?"

She glanced over her shoulder again before taking a step closer. "If we're in danger...we need to know. Did _he_ find us?"

Chapman was quiet, staring past her. He glanced to the trees before replying. "You already know the answer to that."

Renae took a deep breath, putting both hands behind her head. "Damn...guess it was only a matter of time...how...how long do we have?"

"...I don't know." Chapman couldn't look her in the eye. "Look. Just do your job, and I'll worry about mine. We've got to end this...before it's too late."

* * *

In the ship, Frisk gave Alphys a nudge. With how tired she was though, all she could muster was a weary groan. The wound was starting to take its toll. By now it had begun to blacken slightly, and she looked a bit paler than the previous day. He shook his head, staring at the hawk.

"She needs help, don't you see that? I mean you guys have got to have _some_ medical supplies around here!"

Deren didn't meet his gaze, attempting to ignore him. Frisk narrowed his eyes, glancing again to make sure she was still out before speaking again.

"You don't intend on letting her live after all of this, do you? That's why you aren't helping her now isn't it?"

Deren glanced to the door. "We all do what we have to do."

Frisk muttered under his breath, just loud for the hawk to hear.

"But you don't have to do it." More silence. Frisk tried again. "What's the endgame here? You trade me for Sans, kill them both, and then what? We're still going to get home. When we do and Toriel finds out what you did? She's going to make sure nobody stops hunting you!"

Deren glared at Frisk now, firing back. "You aren't going to hunt us. Not you, not anyone."

Frisk scoffed. "What's going to stop us?"

Deren once more fell silent.

"I know you think this is wrong." Frisk tried to make his voice calmer. "I've grown to be able to recognize a soldier when I see one. You're not just some mercenary. What's going on?"

"Something much bigger than you, or me, or any of us." Deren mumbled. "I'd stop talking now if I was you."

After letting out a frustrated grumble, Frisk leaned back again, muttering. "You know you can stop this."

As Frisk let his eyes close, Deren stole one more glance, shaking his head before watching Renae stalk away from Chapman just outside.


	8. Ambush

**Merry Christmas one and all!**

**-Nolan J.** **Rempel**

* * *

The dirt shifted slightly beneath Cole's feet, the chain-link fence rattling as he dropped into the scrapyard. Sans gazed at the piles of junk all around. Scanned the tops of the piles as the two began to advance further in. The skeleton's voice was quiet as he muttered.

"i don't like this...too many places to hide…"

Cole murmured back. "It goes both ways. Besides, better here where we can slip away easier than somewhere more open." As much as Sans hated to admit it, he was right. As they continued inward, footsteps on gravel crunched ahead of them. Chapman revealed himself, stepping into the open and facing the pair. Cole and Sans immediately stopped. Chapman gave a disapproving shake of his head.

"Did you really think you could pull one over me?"

Cole's face remained expressionless. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Chapman gave a little chuckle. "If you're going to prepare an ambush, the least you could do is make it a _little_ harder to predict. Yeah?" Sans glanced to Cole, noticing a little waver, one of his hands balling up into a fist.

Chapman glanced at the junk piles surrounding them. "Seeing as we both have guns on each other, I'd say we're just about even. So, what do you say we get down to business?"

Cole took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. "Sounds only fair. Where's the kid?"

"Where's his parents?" Their opponent countered immediately. Cole remained silent, prompting Chapman to speak again. "You see, I _really_ don't like it when people try to play games with me, so I figured I'd play a couple of my own. The deal's changed. You give me Sans, and I don't kill the kid. Go back and get me his parents, and I don't kill you either. How does that sound?"

* * *

Julia grunted as she continued to climb up the side of the junk pile. She glanced down the steep slope, gritting her teeth as she neared the summit.

"You just had to pick a junk pile…" She huffed with annoyance. She took a minute to catch her breath as she reached the top. Keeping low, she set down the gun bag slung over her shoulder, unzipping it. Inside, a high powered sniper rifle lay disassembled. Below that, a smaller assault rifle. She took out the components, starting to assemble her firearm. She then eased it through the hollowed out window of the car shell she was crouched behind. She took a deep breath, closing one eye to look down the scope at her quarry below. She slipped her finger around the trigger.

Before she squeezed the trigger though, she paused. She wasn't along up here. Sure enough, the sound of a plasma weapon charging up sounded close by, followed by a firm voice.

"I really wouldn't do that if I were you." A quiet voice advised. She didn't look up, the reticle remained trained on Chapman's head, watching with deadly intent as he spoke with Cole.

"It's going to take more than a few words to stop me." She tried to stall. No time to go for the compact rifle in the bag. Not before he fried her at least.

"Last time I encountered you, you got the drop on me. Little different this time don't you think?"

The voice above her chuckled. "I wouldn't say that. I'd say you've probably got fifty meters give or take to your target. I've got half a foot. So who's got the drop on who I wonder?"

* * *

Cole let out a chuckle of disdain. "Killing me. You really think that's a threat? Why do you think we live in the middle of nowhere? Get in line buddy, we have a whole nation just south of us that's after me. That's an empty threat my friend."

Chapman smirked. "Acting tough to hide your lack of options hmm? I know it well. I know you've fought. I recognize a soldier when I see one. But my war is a hell of a lot more important than you realize. And that, is why I _implore_ you to give up Sans and his compatriots."

"What war are you fighting?" Cole tilted his head as he countered his foe. Chapman's features wavered slightly, the smug look starting to fade.

"Enough with the games. Hand him over. I won't ask again."

* * *

Julia continued to watch as Chapman began to appear more and more frustrated. Her window was closing. She didn't move from her post, despite the deadly firearm trained on her.

"If you think I'm going to back down because you've got a gun at my back you're mistaken. Isn't the first time." She huffed, angling slightly up. A hint of desperation crept into his voice.

"Come on, don't make me do this. You're getting involved in something bigger than either of us, and something you have no hope of understanding."

"Try me," Julia grunted. "I've had a complicated life. Can't be that difficult."

"We both know I won't be allowed to do that." The soldier answered. "We also both know that if you pull that trigger one of us isn't making it out of here alive."

"Whether you kill me is your choice." Julia hissed. Below, Chapman suddenly pulled a pistol out. Now or never. She brought one of her knees closer to her waist.

* * *

"Frisk isn't here." Sans muttered. "This was a setup from the start."

"Yeah I figured." Cole grunted back. He began to reach behind himself. The second his palm closed around the sidearm, he found himself staring down the barrel of Chapman's.

"Enough with the games Mr. Nelson. Sans, with me if you'd please." Sans took a step forward, then stopped, twitching his index finger. Instantly Cole's eyes widened, and Chapman's smug grin evaporated. Beside Sans, an animal skull materialized, it's pupils a glowing white. It emitted an echoey growl. The skeleton called back.

"this here is a gaster blaster. Right now, your gun is pointed at my friend. If you pull the trigger, i will more than happily let it show you what it can do. the same will be done if you turn that gun on me. i'd say it's time for a new arrangement wouldn't you say?"

Cole slowly began to lower his arm. A crack rang out, and a bullet slammed into the gravel, kicking up pebbles. Rapid gunfire rang out a second later. Cole glanced to the mountain, then turned his gun on Sans. Immediately the blaster opened its mouth. Cole jumped back as a burst of magic shot from its gaping maw. The short beam slammed home, sending Chapman flying back with a cry, landing against the junk pile behind him.

"Come on, let's go!" Cole grabbed Sans's arm, pulling him away. The blaster instantly turned on Cole, letting out a fierce growl, making him freeze. Sans twitched his finger again, and the skull disintegrated.

"sorry, force of habit with those things."

"You monsters are always hiding something…" Cole shook his head, taking out his own pistol, leading them back to safety.

* * *

Julia's leg flashed out, catching her foe in the shin. The blow unbalanced the soldier, causing him to stumble. Her finger squeezed the sniper's trigger, but not before the barrel shifted, the bullet missing by an inch.

" _Dammit!_ " She shouted in frustration. Wasting no time, she grabbed the compact rifle. Rolling onto her back. Two shots rang out as she opened fire, the bullets meeting home. Puffs of dust flew up from the impact points. The soldier staggered further, falling over backwards. He tumbled down the pile. As he reached the bottom, she stared at his still figure. A second later, she set down the rifle, beginning to disassemble the sniper, tucking the pieces away in the gun bag.

As she finished zipping it up though, she heard a weary groan, and saw movement below. Instantly she grabbed the rifle, once more firing down at the soldier. From that distance though, the bullets missed, giving him time to scramble around a bend for cover. Slinging the bag over her shoulder, she slid down the pile, jumping to her feet when she reached the bottom. She sprinted around the bend...but he was already gone.

" _Errrgh...need to go. Could be more of them."_ The thought caused her to turn away, running back for her entry point. It didn't take long for her to find the hole in the fence, worming her way through, and disappearing into the trees beyond. She made sure to keep the rifle raised as she made her way deeper into the trees, pausing at a rustle. She immediately rounded on a bush.

"Whoa hey, just us." Cole assured, revealing himself and Sans. She lowered the rifle as Cole continued. "We heard extra gunfire. Was that you?"

"Yeah. One of them tried to sneak up on me. I got a couple shots on him but, whatever armor they have on is some tough stuff, seemed like my shots only winded him." She frowned at Sans. "They didn't bring the others?"

"no." Sans muttered, walking past them towards the cabin. Cole took a deep breath.

"It was a setup the whole time. They never intended on returning them in the first place."

"Geez…" Julia began to walk alongside Cole. "So what happens now?"

Cole looked down at the ground. "I don't know. I don't think there's anything that we _can_ do."

Julia glanced into the undergrowth. "They're going to die if we don't help."

"They'll die if we do! Think for a second Julia. They have better weapons. Better knowledge of what they're doing. They know exactly where we are, but we have no idea where they are! How are we supposed to help them? Sooner or later they'll come after us too. As much as I want to help them, I think they're on their own."

Julia grabbed Cole by the arm. "That doesn't sound like you. The brother I have stood up and fought for the good of those around him, and he didn't back down when the odds were against him."

Cole scoffed. "You and I both know that isn't true. Why do you think we're hiding out here in the middle of nowhere? Besides, that's something I actually believed in, and that's gone now."

"There are remnants Cole. You've heard them."

Cole pulled his arm free. "That isn't my point. That's something I believed in. We already escaped one war, I for one am not wanting to get myself mixed up in another one that neither of us understand. For all we know these people have done horrible things, and those chasing them are seeking justice."

Julia rolled her eyes. "Now you're just spouting stupidity."

"I know!" Cole raised his voice, instantly pausing and looking around. He immediately lowered it again. "But you get what I'm saying...Alright, how about this; Let's just get back home. We'll regroup, and...consider our options."

"That's better." Julia grunted, giving him a quick jab in the elbow.

"C'mon, we have to break the news to the others." She set off again. Cole glanced once more over his shoulder, before disappearing into the darkness after her.


End file.
